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Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Four San Diego firefighters are pressing sexual harassment claims against the city's fire department after they were taunted while driving a fire engine in a gay Pride parade last month.

The men claim their battalion chief ordered them to ride in the July 21 parade through San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood, according to their attorney, Stephen Stirling.

The firefighters followed the order out of concern they would otherwise be suspended or punished.

During the parade, the firefighters said, bystanders taunted them with sexually explicit comments and colleagues called to tease them for participating in the event.

"I was forced into a situation that would compromise what I hold true and what I believe in," engineer Jason Hewitt said in a statement.

The four contend the department failed to protect them from sexual harassment and didn't immediately act to correct the situation, Stirling said.

The four men, who were assigned to a fire station in the parade route area, were called in after another crew that had volunteered to participate canceled at the last minute because one firefighter had a family emergency.

My Thoughts

OMG get over it guys, we work in a profession that is highly regarded and respected by the community, that's the entire community, the gay community is part of the community it represents about 10% of the population.

I attend incidents without prejudice, I don't care where people are from, or what their beliefs are, I attend and help, THAT IS OUR JOB!, it's not up to us to decide what we will and wont attend to.

The fact that you have made a harassment case for attending a community event has put a dark shadow over your service.